Opinion category, Page 13

On one hand, we have witnessed the detainment of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal alien, for organizing and leading protests against the slaughter of thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of their homeland. On the other, 1,600 duly tried and convicted American citizens involved in the attempted overthrow of our government...

The Pentagon is not able to pass an audit of its expenses. It cannot account for around one-half of its budgeted $850 billion. There is waste and abuse in failed weapons programs, unnecessary nuclear expansion and exorbitant prices for goods and services by defense contractors. The failure of DOGE to...

Baseball is a game of numbers. Sure, every sport can claim that to some extent. A scoreboard is all about the numbers, after all. A tie is never broken by an essay question. But baseball may be the peak intersection of jocks and accountants. Even before the book (and movie)...

Pennsylvania’s aging services providers, including nursing homes, senior living communities and home and community-based services, continue to sound the alarm about their ongoing workforce crisis. We don’t have enough qualified workers to care for Pennsylvania’s fast-growing older population, due to costly staffing agencies and limited government support. To help, LeadingAge...

Against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding measles outbreak, what we need right now is urgent assistance from the federal government to support immunization and strengthen vaccine delivery, not more challenges. Unfortunately, vaccine expertise is instead being sidelined while anti- vaccine perspectives are being elevated. Last Friday, Dr. Peter Marks, a...

So glad to hear another company is taking over Idlewild & SoakZone, along with Kennywood and Sandcastle. Hopefully, the new owners will restore the beauty and traditions Idlewild once valued before it was sold to Palace Entertainment. Joanne Thornburg North Huntingdon...

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk in February said they had already saved taxpayers $55.6 billion. According to NPR, the amount was closer to $6.5 billion. “Taxpayers” paid more than $26 million for Trump’s golf outings this year; he has traveled to his own golf resorts, Trump International Golf Club...

Groceries are not old-fashioned. For some reason, President Donald Trump appears fascinated with the word. It started back in August on the campaign trail, when he was working on his economic record and the high prices Americans were seeing on food. He stood at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster...

Laurel: To being canceled. The idea of cancel culture gets a lot of criticism, as it should. There should be less shutting down of ideas and more frank discussion of problems and solutions. But when events get canceled, that’s a little different. Last week, an event featuring both U.S. Sens....

As a former public librarian and current school librarian, I am in a position to tell you about the impact libraries have on communities. At the Carnegie Library, the staff and I helped elders learn how to use computers for the first time, taught them how to sign up for...

This might appear to be a frivolous observation, given other issues that have hit the headlines over the past few days, but I have a big problem with the secretary of Homeland Security’s wardrobe. Normally, I don’t pay all that much attention to the sartorial style of women in the...

I met Miguel* one summer when his mom, who was enrolled in an English as a second language (ESL) class with my sister-in-law, attended our family’s Memorial Day picnic. He easily blended in with the rest of the preteens kicking around a soccer ball and talking about all things pop...

In ninth grade, I started high school at the Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy of International Studies. I wanted to experience the diverse community that the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) magnet program offers. At Obama, I have been exposed to new experiences: participating in sports with limited funding, opportunities to lead...

I have seen protests saying President Trump and Elon Musk are Nazis. The swastika, the symbol of the Nazis, is on the signs they hold and place in their front yards. This is emotional for me because I don’t think they have any idea of history. My father-in-law endured 18...

Have no doubt, kindness is alive and well in our world. In addition to suffering from ALS, I recently spent over five weeks in the intensive care unit at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, where I was treated for pneumonia and respiratory failure. The doctors, technicians and other staff were fantastic and...

When you have someplace to go and you own a car, your schedule can be in your own hands. You have an appointment at 2 p.m. It’s 2 miles away. Depending on where you are and what traffic is like, you could be sitting on the couch watching TV until...

I believe the U.S. is in the throes of a constitutional coup, the seizure of power through exploitation of loopholes in the Constitution. Using the Project 2025 blueprint, democracy is being dismantled and replaced by an oligarchy composed of billionaires. First, we get the chaos created by a flurry of...

I am writing this from the last days of our captivity. Indeed, by the time some of you read this, we will be free. If all goes according to the White House’s plan, April 2 will go down in history as America’s “Liberation Day.” Steve Bannon, a prominent unofficial Trump...

On March 12, French artists, DJs and musicians united to fight the threat of the far-right government in France that they felt was a threat to democracy in their country. More than 1,200 artists, DJs and promoters from the French music industry came together to galvanize “the world of the...

I have a gripe with the government, too, but it’s not about politics. I’ve been donating to George Washington’s Mount Vernon home for the past year, and every time I do, I am informed by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association that they are the only ones that support and seek...

Please just stop. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter ruled Pennsylvania’s election boards cannot invalidate mail-in ballots because they don’t have dates on their outer envelopes. Baxter is not the first judge to weigh in on this issue. She’s not the second or third or fourth. She is...

After seeing the continued support from the die-hard MAGA base of all things President Trump and co-President Musk do, I had a realization of what Trump’s greatest accomplishment has been so far. In my opinion, they have been able to convince hard-working Americans to accept higher prices and slashed government...

I get tired of reading and hearing in the national media about how much players around the league love Mike Tomlin. The Steelers consistently miss signing priority free agents and only retain their own priority players when they give “highest paid at the position” contracts. The Rooneys need to conduct...

While seeking another stay in the White House, Donald J. Trump did what most politicians do: promised the moon to those who might help him get elected. Trump also assured us that promises made would be promises kept. But as former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo is famously quoted: “You...

President Donald Trump has not yet completed 100 days in office, but for Democratic governors, the shadow primary for 2028 is underway as they test messages and search for ways to flip the script from the defeatism of their party in Congress. Into this fray has stepped Illinois Gov. JB...